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Whilst planning a trip to Andalusia in May 2018, with the primary objective of revisiting its WHS, we took the opportunity to dive into the further reaches of its T List as well. Towards its end I came across one titled “The Wine in Iberia”. This had only been added 3 months earlier in February - might that mean that it was being actively progressed for inscription? But the title didn’t particularly “enthuse” with the mental picture it conjured of yet more fields of grapes to add to the many already inscribed or on the T List!! In fact, in this T List entry, Spain has hit upon a different “take” on the viticulture story - this one doesn’t have a vineyard in sight and claims its value from the “Archaeology” of viticulture and winemaking in Spain – particularly in relation to its introduction from the Eastern Mediterranean by the Phoenicians around 7th C BC.

2 of the 4 locations as shown on this Web site’s map were close to our route from Jerez to Gibraltar so we decided to take in one of them - the romantically titled “Castillo de Doña Blanca”. This web site contains an “advisory” on its T List Maps - “The coordinates shown for all tentative sites were produced as a community effort. They are not official and may change on inscription”. The Castillo was shown as being located in the “Ecological Park” of the town of El Puerto …

On the way from Prague to Cesky Krumlov, the small World Heritage Site village of Holasovice was an easy stop for a brief visit. I drove pass many nice villages which I really enjoyed but noticed that all of them had many architectural styles from Baroque to modern, a sign that those villages have developed thru time, so I questioned myself how possible Holasovice be perfectly preserved?

I parked my car in the designated almost full carpark behind closed tourist information center, presumed that from the size of the carpark for about 20 cars, the village is enjoyed considerate number of tourists. The whole village was very small and built around the large oval pond garden. The picturesque colorful façades of farmhouses around the garden were a lovely sight to see for its unbelievable harmonious design. I felt that Holasovice was a rural version of Telc, another World heritage Site that well known for its beautiful façade buildings around its central square. Some houses were opened as café and museum, nothing remarkable for the museum display unless you were some pure city dwellers who never experienced on farm tools. The most remarkable thing I found from Holasovice was its unfortunate history which caused the whole village to be perfectly preserved. From many plagues to post WWII expulsion, the village was deserted many times and was left behind without any development unlike its nearby villages until 1990!

Because of its small size, I spent less than 30 minutes to …

As indicated in previous reviews, there is no really satisfactory answer as to how best to “visit” the Gorham’s Cave WHS. In May 18 we decided from the start NOT to attempt to visit the Viewing Platform during its opening times. This was partly because its hours (10-2 Mo to Fr) were very inconvenient for us and partly because we weren’t convinced of the added “value” from so doing. We wanted to take our Spanish rent-a-car into Gib to avoid buses/car parking etc but didn’t want to make the crossing in the morning “rush” nor stay overnight there at Gib’s relatively expensive hotels. Indeed, at 1.30pm, there was only 1 car in front of us at the border and we were able to drive directly up to the Jewish Cemetery to commence our walk on the Rock inside the inscribed area before 2pm (and, when we departed the Rock at 9pm, there were no cars at all in a queue in front of us and we didn’t even have to stop!). Foreign registered cars are not allowed in the “Upper Rock” area but we found free parking off Windmill Hill Rd around the area of 36.118339, -5.345241 (turn right just before the check point stopping non-Gib cars) which is only a 10 minute walk up to the “Jew’s Cemetery” entrance.

We then spent over 4 hours exploring the “Upper Rock Nature Reserve” on foot including a descent of the Mediterranean Steps which pass through the inscribed area. …

Kutna Hora is possibly the third most popular World Heritage Site of Czechia after Prague and Cesky Krumlov, after great peaceful time in Moravia, Kutna Hora welcomed me with the horde of tourists, but unlike Prague and Cesky Krumlov, most of visitor here seem to be European students. I started my visit at Sedlec to see the Cathedral of our Lady, to my surprised the carpark was packed with school tour buses with hundreds of students in front of the cathedral and I saw incredible long queue in front of the famous Ossuary, a scene that immediately made me to turn my car back to somewhere else.

I walked aimlessly around Kutna Hora’s historic center, I could not find anything remarkable from the historic center, except Church of Saint Barbara area which in my opinion the real highlight of this city. The walking promenade from the city center to Church of Saint Barbara along the former Jesuit collage was truly beautiful with great view of below valley and the decorative statues along the pathway, almost similar to Prague historic Charles Bridge. The Gothic Church of Saint Barbara was quite stunning for its location and its unique roof design; however, the interior was not match its exterior attractiveness. Then I walked back to the city center, as I ready mentioned, nothing really stunning, but the city was nice, the wealth from silver mine helped the city development pretty well.

Since Kutna Hora was full with group …

Sintra was the first WHS on my trip to Portugal in May 2018. Actually, palaces and gardens are not my favourite kind of WHS, but due to the positive reviews and the high rating on this website I expected an enjoyable visit. Thus, I scheduled two days for Sintra to visit all the major sites. And I was not disappointed.

I arrived at Sintra at noon and went first to the Palacio nacional de Sintra in the town centre, its history dates back to the Middle Ages. The first what I saw were the iconic conical chimneys of the palace kitchen, a nice prelude. And also the interior was a pleasant surprise. I liked best the wooden ceilings painted with magpies and swans, and the Room of Coats-and-Arms with its blue and white azulejos. Well, these tiles are ubiquitous in Portugal, magnificent, but after a while you get used to them and the wow-effect is weakening. Next I headed to Quinta da Regaleira, just a few minute walk from the centre. The Manuelistic palace was interesting to visit, but the highlight was the wonderful magical garden. It was great fun to explore all these grottoes and lakes and fountains - most spectacular were the initiation wells, a kind of 'underground towers' lined with spiral staircases. Quinta da Regaleira is one of the most popular sites in Sintra and thus quite crowded. But in summer, it is open until 8 pm and in the late afternoon after the daytours have …

The Palacio Nacional de Mafra is nominated for inscription in 2019, reason enough to include Mafra in my itinerary for my Portugal Trip in May 2018. The palace is huge, the front is 220 meters long, it seems completely oversized for the small town. The Palace-Convent complex was built in the 18th century and was paid with the gold from the colony of Brazil. When visiting the palace, you have to walk through an endless number of rather uninteresting rooms, worth mentioning are only the hospital and the library (photo). The library is certainly impressive, but you can not properly visit, only the first meters are accessible.The nomination also includes the Cerco Garden behind the palace, not outstanding, and the hunting grounds, the Tapada Nacional de Mafra. There are several marked trails and even guided tours that start from an information centre about 8 km northwest of the palace. However, I did not visit the Tapada, I thought I had enough hiking the days before at Sintra.Mafra is certainly of national importance, it is considered the most important baroque building in Portugal, but not enough to justify a WHS in my opinion. What I will remember from Mafra is mainly the long indoor hike.

When I first read about visiting Upper Svaneti about 15 year ago, travel guidebooks were advising not to get there on your own, because of a risk of kidnapping and theft. How things have changed now !

Visiting Upper Svaneti is still an experience. First thing is to get to the town of Mestia. It is a 8 hours drive from Tbilissi. The road in the moutains is in quite good condition (be careful however, because of a few rough stretches). The scenary is wonderful with views on 5000 meters high peaks. On the way, stop at Enguri dam, as Georgian authorities are thinking od adding this hydro-electric complex on the TL. There are many collective taxis (marutchka) getting to Mestia, often changing in Zugdidi, the town at the feet of the mountains. Alternatively you can get a plane from Tbilissi to Mestia, but Mestia airport is very small and highly subject to bad weather. Flights are often cancelled at the last minute.

In Mestia, there are plenty of hotels and guesthouse. I would recommand Nino Tatiani’s guesthouse, with a very friendly atmosphere and very nice buffet meals. In the central place of Mestia is Leila’s restaurant. It has daily shows of traditional polyphonic song performed (which are on the UNESCO immaterial list).

The road from Mestia to Ushguli is rather rough. It is recommanded to take a marusutchka or a private car to drive this 50 km long road, which will take 2 to 3 hours. Most hotels or …

As a cultural worker, hunting for World Heritage Sites has gone beyond just seeing sites. Rather, it has become more of experiencing them. Hence, in the Anuradhapura vs Polonnaruwa debate, clearly, I would have to give it to the former. The first capital of Sri Lanka remains very much alive today, attracting more devoted pilgrims than actual tourists. While most of the key monuments here are dagobas (local term for stupa), and the variety of architecture is not as diverse as that of Polonnaruwa's, there is a great amount of history in each of them that have been made more special by the reverence that the people continuously attach to them up to these days. In fact, the age of the original monuments here would rival those Buddhist monuments in India, which was really surprising to find out. Not only were they some of the tallest monuments ever seen in the ancient world, but they also stand as pillars as to why Anuradhapura is titled as a "Sacred City", and not just an "Ancient City" as in the case of Polonnaruwa and even Sigiriya. There are two other sacred cities in Sri Lanka which we were also fortunate to see: the Sacred City of Kandy -- also a WHS -- and the Sacred City of Tissamaharama. 

In Anuradhapura, the Sri Jaya Mahabodhi tree is the most sacred element of the city and it sits right at the center. From there, the glaringly white Ruwanwelisaya dagoba is a short walk …

[Visited April 2017]

I spent 3 days exploring all inscribed components during a 4-day Qingming holiday weekend. My visit was possibly a few days before Juha’s and I concur to his impressions on the review below. As he had excellently written about the components he visited, I will focus mine on the others in a lengthy review.

SHAOLIN TEMPLE COMPLEX

Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of Kung Fu. Visiting it was worth the hype and hassle. Yes, it is crowded and considering I went on a public holiday, it was really ”people mountain people sea” type of place. The payoff is not solely on the exceptionality of the built heritage. After all, when you’re templed out, seeing one you’ve seen them all. Rather, it is on the overall experience, especially on the little surprises, that I was rewarded.

Within the Shaolin Temple scenic area are Kung Fu academies offering short or long term courses. If martial art is not your forte, you can just delight on watching the students/kids practice. Morning is best to see them doing exercises - it is not for show but as part of the school schedule. It is an amazing sight viewing them in rows with synchronised movement and dexterity. 

As expected Shaolin Temple Kernel Complex is the most crowded. Notable relics are the mural depicting the Shaolin tradition and a bronze monk statue. Deeper into the compound are places of solitude where I was rewarded with a man practicing Kung Fu (in photo). It …

When I told my colleagues that I was going to Gdansk for a long weekend, the conversation quickly veered off to Lech Walesa. We hadn’t heard from him in a long time. Had he died already? A quick Wikipedia search turned out he is alive and kicking, working the lucrative lecture circuit in the USA. His hometown is on Poland’s Tentative List under the label of Town of Memory and Freedom. Reminders of various periods in Gdansk’s history, starting from the Hanseatic era, are brought together under this flag. During my stay, I mainly focused on the part called the Gdańsk Shipyard associated with the emergence of the Solidarity movement, together with the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers.

To get to know that area and hear more about this period plus its current impact, I joined one of the daily “free” Solidarity walking tours. It’s a popular tour, over 30 people showed up from all over Scandinavia, Russia and Western Europe. We did not tour the old town which resembles Amsterdam without the canals. We explored its edges. We stopped for example at an unsightly parking lot, in front of the police station. It was here in 1970 that for the first time, Lech Walesa's name appeared in the books after a demonstration.

The guided walk puts places into the spotlight that on your own you would just pass by. We saw the first nightclub where rock music was played, a statue of a Polish king who …

Extensive restoration has begun since 2013. This isn't an ideal time to visit; almost every inch of the interior except for the altar and the Grotto of the Nativity is covered by scaffolding.

Since the church was in such a compromised state, I had two choices: I could leave immediately or I could go against my better judgement and queue up for the Grotto. At the end there was really one choice, so I hesitantly threw myself into the crowd, a mix of pilgrims from all over the world. When I could finally see the entrance to the Grotto, some 80 minutes of being smouldered in a sweaty chamber later, I improbably lost my will to continue and left.

Forget for a moment the church's obvious significance as Jesus' birthplace, this Christian structure has, due to both luck and the perseverance of many dedicated parties, remarkably remained standing almost 1,500 years later in this often tumultuous region. History has a price -- the wear and tear has turned the Church of Nativity into what might very well be the ugliest major church I have been to, but this intangibility is also the crown jewel that puts this place on the map. Millions before me have made this pilgrimage to this humble outpost and millions will continue to do so after me.

Visit in May 2018.

It had been a surprisingly long, and often frustrating, ten years since I last had the opportunity to visit a new WHS in person. Only a few recent inscriptions of places I had visited in the past were added to my total during that time. Then, in 2018, a hastily-arranged trip, which was part personal business and part pleasure, would allow me the opportunity to see seven sites that I had not previously visited. Chronologically, the last of those was Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

I have lived on the West Coast of the mainland USA for about 25 years, and during all that time I had a strong desire to go to Hawaii, primarily to see the ongoing eruption of the Kilauea volcano. However, as often happens, circumstances conspired to prevent any trip to the islands, and I consoled myself with the idea that if had indeed found the time to make a visit there, the over-thirty-year-long eruption of the volcano would probably have ceased days, or weeks, before my arrival, and there would have been little to see. I had never considered the possibility that the opposite situation would be closer to reality.

As I was on the homeward bound segment of my recent trip, 10 days before I was scheduled to reach Hawaii, I was resting one evening in Malaysia, and decided to check in on some of the international news broadcasts, which was something I had not done for several weeks. The first …

About halfway through my very rainy drive from London to the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape in Wales earlier this month, I had to remind myself BBC weather predicted clearing skies by the time I would arrive at Blaenavon. Fortunately, the weather forecast was correct, and I was able to enjoy some sun for an hour in the town before driving to the Big Pit to descend into the depths of the former coal mine. One of the best things about visiting Blaenavon is that entrance to both the Blaenavon Ironworks and the Big Pit is free, and the former miners giving the tours of the coal mine were knowledgeable and amusing (and good singers, which I suspect is a requirement for being Welsh) as they discussed the hardships of the coal mining industry. On my tour was a friendly Welsh couple who gave context to how the coal mining at Blaenavon benefited the copper industry near their city of Swansea. After touring the Big Pit, I continued to the Ironworks, where I learned the story of Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, who, with his cousin Percy, conducted experiments at Blaenavon in the 1870s and learned how to remove phosphorus from iron to produce steel. While this process was revolutionary, ultimately it led to the rise of the coal and steel industry in mainland Europe at the expense of the industry in Wales. Although not the biggest fan of mines, I learned a lot from my visit to Blaenavon.

Logistics: Blaenavon is an easy …

Before thinking you are about to see a major Jewish site, note that Masada is a Roman ruin all in all, the only exception being a synagogue converted from a stable by the Jewish rebels. Despite Josephus' claim that Masada was first occupied by the Hasmonean, no archaeological finding can support such claim and the current consensus points to Herod founded the site as a fortified palace between 37 - 31 BC. 

Many have even cast doubt on whether the mass suicide by the Jews had in fact occurred, pointing to the fact that Josephus couldn't possibly have known what had transpired since he was based in Rome at the fall of Masada, this compelling story nonetheless has taken a life of its own. This was a major source of national pride during the first decades of the founding of Israel, a myth that rallied a newfound nation-state to not let its precarious homeland to fall again.

Whatever really happened during the Jewish revolt, blessed with a dramatic setting and a well-preserved core, Masada is well worth a visit. Being able to also see the Dead Sea from a bird's-eye view is just icing on the cake.

This place used to be an ancient city in the styles one can see at the Alcazar in Sevilla but rather than "just" a palace or building the area was an entire town with garden built strategically into the slope of the mountain. Having said that the ruins don't seem as massive as it sounded like beforehand and the big importance of the site as seen in the video is not very evident.

To reach the site you need to get to the outskirts of Cordoba. The museum is at the parking lot and free for EU citizens (there was no ID check so maybe they go by accent or trust? I.e. hide your American accent and seem trustwurthy, or just fork out whatever they ask for.) Inside you watch a prerendered CGI movie about the history of the city and it's daily ongoings. It prepares you for what you are about to see up the hill, kind of.

There is a regular bus that takes you to the museum but it is not free. I guess you could walk up the hill for free but you definitely cannot drive up there in your own car. I find that a little odd because they could easily fit a parking space nearby or at least closer than where it is now.

The site itself is poorly signed. The directions of the paths are even misleading. I love the standing arches and took a lot of pictures here but …

Even though Mallorca seems to be supercrowded at all times, especially when the cruiseships come in, the island came as a pleasant surprise to me. Palma is a very nice city (and the cathedral would probably be already a WH site if it were in any other country) and the mountains are exceptionally scenic, sometimes even spectacular. The Serra de Tramuntana range is the spine of the island (and protects the beaches from the northern winds) and reaches a height of over 1,400 metres. It includes several pretty towns and various monasteries, including the huge one at Lluc. Even though it is not really easy to find out where the core zone of the WHS starts and what is only in the buffer zone, you can be reasonably sure that any trip to the northern coast will make you traverse the core zone. The site is inscribed as a cultural landscape, and it is quite easy to make out various aspects of this as you make your way through the mountains, especially the historic stone walls separating the fields, some of which date back to Arab times. I did two trips to the mountains, both of them very much on the tourist trail and likely to be offered by various agencies - the half-day trip to Valldemossa to visit the Charterhouse (of Chopin and Sand fame) and the full-day trip to Sa Calobra (very winding roads and extraordinarily scenic), followed by a boat ride to Port de Sóller, a tram …

Mesta was the organization is charge of managing transhumance of cattle, mainly sheep, in medieval Spain. Mesta trails are the ways that cross central Spain from north to south and that were used by shepherds and their animals.

Although the sections of these tracks proposed for inscription are not clear at all (at least to me!), we made an interesting visit on our way from Madrid to Avila in the fall of 2016. Near the village of El Tiemblo are two medieval bridges (Puente de Valsordo and Puente de Santa Justa), one after the other, on the rio Alberche. What makes the place interesting to my point of view is that a long text from medieval times is carved on a rock laying between these two bridges, and this text sets the price to be paid by shepherds to the Mesta when using these bridges (price is set depending on the number of animals). With modern words we would call it a toll place. It is almost impossible to read this text without help, but luckily there is a modern panel aside reproducing the exact text and giving brief explanation about how the Mesta organization worked.

To find this place, when driving on National road N403 and passing by El tiemblo village, take the road to Cebreros village, then after ca. one kilometre, leave this road on the right on a dust road. It will drive you down the valley for about another kilometre, until you reach …

Having read that Iceland would propose this site for 2019, I crossed check the detailed map of the nomination file (that can be downloaded from the National Park website) with my notes and pictures from our June 2008 trip to Iceland.

To be fair this tentative site is probably best visited if you go there for trekking, and this is not what we did at that time, however we went to some easily accessible parts of the nominated area. There is only one road which goes (on a short section) through this area, that is road number 1, which is also the only road going around the island. We stopped at the place called Jokulsarlon. This is a lake created by melting ice from the glacier, directly connected to the beach and sea by a short stream. There were few visitors on that day, and the dark clouds, low light, white and blue ices with the glacier in the background created a very special and impressive atmosphere we will never forget.

Following road number one to Reikjavik, we also stopped at two more places (Skaftafell and Svinafellsokull) where ice tongues from the Vatnajokul glacier can be seen from very close. For this, you must exit the main road and drive for a few minutes on dust roads (accessible with our basic rental car). Staying safe on the path we walked along the ice, and again these were memorable experiences. Glacier was huge and could be seen from very close. It …

After a few days in Turkey the ennui that I generally reserve to Baroque churches had settled in for Ottoman mosques. "You seen one, you have seen them all." I figured. So, you may understand why I really questioned the 6.5h one way trip from Istanbul upon arrival in Edirne.

But the site really won me over as soon as it entered my view and even more so when I stepped into it. The murals and the proportions are stunning. To me it felt as if all of Ottomon architecture was coming together in this great mosque by Sinan.

While You Are There

Edirne having been the second Ottoman capital (after Bursa) has several representative Ottoman buildings to visit. Specifically, the tentative site of Sultan Bayezid II Complex Is well worth the short stroll out of town.

Getting There

I did Edirne in one hellish day trip from Istanbul. The net driving time would be less than three hours. However, you need to get out of Istanbul first and that can easily take an hour or more.

If you travel by bus (as I did), you will also spend significant time getting to the bus station in Istanbul and waiting around (Metro Otogar). I think in total I spent more than 50% of the lengthy trip time in Istanbul (6.5h to, 4.5h back).

Finally, the bus station in Edirne is quite far outside town. Even by cab I would assume this takes 15-20min. By local bus …

Palladio's influence on American colonial architecture can be seen in historic homes and structures throughout the East Coast of the United States, including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and the University of Virginia. For that reason, I made certain to include the City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto in my travel plans when I visited Italy last fall. Vicenza is a pleasant city not far from Venice and Padova, and it is packed with examples of Palladian architecture, including the Palazzo Chiericati, the Basilica Palladiana, and the Teatro Olimpico. While the loggia of the Basilica Palladiana was wonderful to see, it was somewhat obscured by tents for a chocolate fair on the day I visited; the Palazzo Chiericati was much more accessible and just as impressive. Nearby, the intricate stage of the Teatro Olimpico was worth the wait to visit. In the afternoon, I continued by bus to the famed Villa Almerico Capra, or "La Rotunda", which inspired Jefferson's Monticello. I made sure to visit on a Saturday so I could view the interior, but unfortunately photography was not allowed inside. The building was magnificent, however, and I spent a good hour admiring the grounds. For anyone with an interest in architecture, I highly recommend Vicenza.

Logistics: Vicenza is accessible by train to many nearby cities, and the downtown is a short walk from the train station; both a bus and a foot path connect the town with La Rotunda, on the outskirts of town, and I can …